The NYT lead story this morning begins: A long-running effort by the Bush administration to send home many of the terror suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been stymied in part because of concern among United States officials that the prisoners may not be treated humanely by their own governments, officials said.

I. e., Guantánamo protects prisoners.

Not to disparage the governments efforts to reduce the amount of torture in the world, but heres what its come to: We keep guys shackled to the floor, in cages, as long as we like, because the alternatives are worse.
Whoever said this administration lacks a sense of humor?

Todd Gitlin, who professes journalism and sociology at Columbia University, is the author of eleven books including, most recently, The Intellectuals and the Flag (Columbia University Press). For more, see www.toddgitlin.net.

"What part of "compassionate conservative", don't understand?"(This passed on from an impeachable souse who claims overhearing it last night from a disgruntled Republican at the White House Correspondents' dinner).